Erdogan: Turkey will not recognize Crimea as Russian

Turkey refuses to recognize the inclusion of Crimea in Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Erdogan, preservation of the basic rights and freedoms in Crimea are Turkey’s priorities. Turkey has not recognized Crimea’s illegal annexation, nor will it recognize it” Erdogan assured Zelensky. During the conversation, the heads of state touched upon the issue of the Crimean Tatars, who had earlier asked Turkey to “respect their choice” and recognize the Crimean Peninsula as a part of Russia. Erdogan emphasized that “Crimean brothers and sisters are an important element of the historic and human connections between Ukraine and Turkey,” adding that Ankara together with Kyiv, plans to “protect their rights.” During the meeting, Erdogan said that he hoped for a speedy end to the civil war in Ukraine, and convinced Zelensky that he supported the Minsk Process, which envisaged the settlement of the armed conflict peacefully. Ura.ru